Sunday, November 20, 2005

Yesterday was Buy Nothing Day. Not in my city. No one I know gave up shopping. No one even knew about it. You might as well ask people not to breathe.

We walk south from Osaka Station, head past the Hilton Hotel. Women are bedecked in thousands of dollars of jewelry and frippery. A night out in groups of two or three, each carrying brand name bags to show the world that they have made a purchase. The newest Osaka cathedral devoted to their needs is located just opposite the Hilton, and beckons with blue, neon-like lighting in the dusk.